Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for monitoring and controlling the electric power consumption of devices supplied by the power line.
Description of the Related Art
Nowadays, the management of the electric power consumption has become a very complex issue, both in domestic and industrial scenarios.
Making reference to domestic scenarios, domestic electric power consumption is highly variable. Typically, during a working day, highest electric power consumptions mainly occur during morning and evening, while during weekends electric power consumption is more evenly distributed. Other factors may strongly influence the domestic power consumption, such as for example the holidays and seasons of the year. Moreover, if on the one hand the domestic electric power demand has reached higher and higher peak levels, on the other hand environmental and economic reasons have brought to the diffusion of residential renewable electric power generation units, whose electric power generation capabilities fluctuates based on the weather conditions. The complexity of this scenario is further increased by the introduction of time-varying and dynamic electric power tariffs.
Similar considerations may be applied to industrial scenarios.
In order to efficiently manage the electric power consumption so as to avoid overloads (i.e., to avoid that the maximum power threshold of the power grid is exceeded) and reduce the costs, all the abovementioned aspects should be taken into account. Since this is a very complex task, the introduction of a system capable of automatically managing the power consumptions is strongly desirable.
International patent application WO2009/097400 discloses a system and a method for monitoring and controlling the power consumption of a power-consuming device. The system and method may connect to a power source and a power-consuming device, connecting the power-consuming device to the power source. The power usage of the power-consuming device may then be measured and monitored. This monitoring data may then be stored and optionally sent to a controlling device on a data network. The location of the power-consuming device may also be determined, recorded, and sent to a controlling device. The system may also control the power usage of the power-consuming device. In some cases, a remote server may connect multiple energy monitoring systems in order to gain additional efficiencies and foster a community-based social network.
In the paper “Scheduling energy consumption with local renewable micro-generation and dynamic electricity prices” by Onur Derin and Alberto Ferrante, GREEMBED 2010, a scheduling problem for household tasks is discussed, directed to help users save money spent on their energy consumption. A system model is presented, which relies on electricity price signals, availability of locally-generated power and flexible tasks with deadlines. A case study shows that cost savings are possible but fast and efficient solutions to the scheduling problem are needed for their real world use.